Too Close For Comfort
by choccofrog
Summary: Written for inti chan's prompt in the tvd originals comment ficathon on LiveJournal. The prompt was: Esther/Mikael, Rebekah/Klaus. Mikael didn't see it, Esther didn't want to see it.


_The Middle Ages_

Esther knew that her children were close - she and Mikael had made sure from a young age that they knew how important family were and that they had to stick together no matter what - but with each passing day, she couldn't fail to notice that two of her children were becoming close in a way they shouldn't be.

As young children, Rebekah trailed after her brothers, kicking and screaming when she wasn't allowed to join in with whatever they were doing. Klaus was constantly baiting her, encouraging her temper with a teasing glint in his eye but she never stayed mad at him for long.

Rebekah, although not Esther's youngest child, was her baby. As the only girl, Esther was fiercely protective of her beautiful daughter as was her husband, though it was nothing compared to that of Niklaus. Elijah saw it as his duty to protect all of his five siblings, being the oldest he spent time looking after all of them but even he could see the close bond between his most hotheaded brother and their sister and knew he'd never have the same bond.

There were times when Esther felt she was failing as a mother when she wasn't able to comfort her own daughter when she was sick or upset. All of her sons had been soothed by her touch, by her holding them to her breast, her steady heartbeat a constant for them but Rebekah was only ever fully comforted when she was in Klaus' arms. He would rock her gently, whisper words of comfort, stroking her hair and face until she was a heavy, sleeping weight in his arms. The reverence in his eyes as he laid her on her bed, covered her and kissed her forehead made Esther's heart swell. It was bittersweet but she knew that neither herself or Mikael would ever begrudge their worship for each other.

As the years went on and Rebekah reached her teens she became more rebellious, bickering with Klaus constantly, sometimes to the point where she would get so angry that tears would be rolling down her face. The wounded look on her face never failed to have him pulling her into an embrace, soothing her as he had done for her entire life. She fought him, not wanting to be treated like a baby, but she always gave in eventually. The love in her eyes was clear as Klaus wiped away her tears. She always forgave whatever misdemeanor he'd committed, sealed with a hug and a kiss to his cheek.

The first time Esther realised that the siblings were becoming a little _too close_, she had been gathering herbs in the forrest. She heard the sounds of children laughing in the distance, their excited yelps as they chased and caught each other. Two voices caught her attention, or more accurately Rebekah's giggles and laughter, and Klaus' teasing voice.

"Klaus, _no_, stop it, stop tickling me!"

"Not until you admit that I'm faster than you, little sister," came the reply.

"Okay, okay, I admit it, you're faster, now get _off me_ you great oaf!"

As Esther came closer she saw them lying in the grass, or rather Rebekah lying, Klaus straddling her hips. Rebekah was panting, no doubt a result of running away from her brother before his tickle attack. Klaus had a mischievous grin on his face as he leaned in and lifted her arms from where she'd been trying to protect her ticklish abdomen, pinning her wrists to the ground.

"What if I don't want to?" he said with a smirk.

Rebekah hooked a leg around one of his, pulling their bodies closer together and looked deep into her brother's eyes. "What if I don't want you to?" she said breathlessly.

Klaus opened his mouth to speak but Esther couldn't bear to watch any more. "Klaus!" she shouted, a little harsher than intended.

Her childrens' heads both snapped around in her direction, both looking equally surprised, they'd been so deep in their own little world. Surprised was the word she chose in the moment, but when she thought about it later, she had to admit that it also looked a little - a lot - like guilt. She said nothing of it and after a few days she'd all but forgotten about it.

Everything seemed to be back to normal during the next months until she awoke one night to the sound of breathy moans and hushed whispers outside the window. Mikael was in a deep slumber and didn't stir when she rose and headed into the main room. She listened for a moment, trying to place the voices of what had to be some of the villagers - she smiled fondly when she remembered how she and Mikael had slipped out of their homes to be together on several occasions. For now, she headed for her children's beds to make sure they hadn't been woken too, since the moans were getting louder. As the moon shone into the room, she saw that two beds were empty. Esther stood frozen to the spot, it couldn't be...could it? Deep down she knew the answer but refused to believe it. She hurried back to bed, buried her head in the covers and tried to block out any noise.

The next morning as she and Rebekah prepared breakfast, Esther watched her daughter. She was calmer than she had been in a long time and wore a pleased expression. As they ate, there was the usual chatter of plans for the day - hunting and the like. Klaus and Rebekah sat on opposite sides of the table but their eyes were locked for most of the meal. Esther didn't feel hungry in the slightest.

That evening she suggested to Mikael that Rebekah should be encouraged to interact more with other girls in the village, some female companionship because it wasn't healthy for her to spend all her time with her brothers. "Nonsense," Mikael said, "family is everything. Others in the village are envious of our children's closeness." he said, proudly. Esther's stomach rolled, _If only they knew the truth_.

Three weeks passed before Rebekah refused to spend any more time with the other girls. She said they were no fun and she would rather spend time with her brothers. She didn't miss the smirk and dark look in Klaus' eyes as his sister announced this during their evening meal.

No matter how much she tried to keep her children from one another's arms, Esther never quite managed it. She decided the best way was a spell or maybe a few herbs to make them less...enamoured with each other.

Early the next day she lost her youngest son and then the world as she knew it ceased to exist.

_Present Day_

Following her resurrection Esther learned that many things had changed during her time away from her family. And some things hadn't. She watched Klaus dancing with Caroline, clearly smitten; and watched as Rebekah's jealousy was there, clear as day for anyone to see.

"I love my family Elena, but they are an abomination."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Esther knew that revulsion she felt was about more than vampires. She just hoped that no-one else ever discovered the other reason she wanted her children dead.

- - - END - - -


End file.
